Mercury switch



Oct.. 30, 1934. H C, RAUE 1,978,817

MERCURY SWITCH Filed March 15, 1951 lig ATroRNE Patented Oct. 30, 1934 A,uNrfl--1 STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,978,817 MERCURY SWITCH Hugo Qarl Raue, Bloomfield, N. J.,assignor to o .Westinghouse Lamp Company, a corporation or Pennsylvania Application March 1s, 1931;v serial No. 522.200 s claims. (ci 21m-152)l VOther objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description together -with the vaccompanying drawing. inl which Fig. 1 is" a vertical cross sectional view of a This invention relates to mercury switch devices and relates more particularly to devices oi the tilting type in which a pair of electrodes 4are.

opposite direction to break the circuit. The

vertical type is operated with the longitudinal axis of the device in a substantially vertical po-l sition and the mercury is moved to make and break the circuit by a tilting of the device about a point along the vertical axis.

A mercury switch of the horizontal type is shown in Patent No. I1,762,213 issued to George'- F. Callahan on June 10, 1930 and a switch of the vertical type is shown. ina copending ap` -plication Serial Nio. 472,222 ledAugust 1, 1930 by C. V. Iredell and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

Mercury switches are 'employed in various types of equipment and owing to the physical construction of such equipment as well as the use to which-it is to be put, it is necessary to provide both horizontal and vertical type constructions of switches since a horizontal type. might be applicable in one apparatus whereas another apparatus may be constructed so as to only provide room for a vertically operable switch. l L y vFurthermore it is the usual practicey to pro` vide a vertical operable switch to give the more rapid make and break operation.

i It is ,an object of the present invention to provide a mercury switch so constructed and manner.

'the horizontal tilting type and the vertical tilt.4

arranged that it may be operable either in a.

the ow of mercury during vertical or horizontal' mercury switch constructed in accordance-with the present invention;

Fig. Fig. 3 is a view .similar to Fig. 1 but'showing 2 is a view taken 'on line lI-lI in Fig. 1;

the device in a tilted position;

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line I'V--IV in Fig. 3; Fig.A 5 is a view similar to Fig. Il but showing the switch tilted with the mercury'pool divided to break electrical connection;

Fig.

6 is a sectional view of the switch shown in position for horizontal tilting;

Fig. `'1 is a view taken on line VII-#V11 in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but shows the switch tilted in anb opposite direction;

Fig. Fig.

9 is a view taken on line IX--IX in Fig. 8; 10 is a perspective view of the refractory orinsulating elementsy showing the upper side in which a pocket is formed which element is employed for controlling the ow of mercury from one 'electrode to the other, and

Fig.

11 is a perspective viewof the insulativ element shown in Fig. 10 viewed from theopposite end. l

A mercury switch device' constructed in ac- Icordance with the present invention may comadmit ting, a quantity of mercury 17 to the bulb.

'I'he leading in 'wires 12 and 13 extend into the bulb andterminate inelectrodes 14 and 15 respectively. The free or l.exposed ends of the electrodes are bul-b.

disposed adjacent to one end of the A deposit of mercury within the bulb would obviously resultjn an electrical connection between -the electrodes.

trolling the ow of mercury the bulb is provided With aliinsulative member 18 of a refractory material such for example as Lavite, a commercial product comprised in major part of finely pulverized lava rock which is compacted under great Thi pressure to coherent form. y s material may be either pressed to the de- For the purpose of consired form or machined to any given configuration and subsequently red at elevated temperatures to render it strong and refractory.

It is obvious, however, that other suitable insulative or refractory materials may be molded or otherwise shaped for use as the member or element 18;. The: lmercury, controlled element may be formed with a portion of its surface cyl-- v termed a stationary pool 24 and the lower end of the electrode 14 is disposed in the cavity 22 'and consequentlyl in contact with the mercury pool 24. `The remaining portion-25 ofthe mercury which may be considered as-'the movable portion, surrounds the lower end ofthe electrode 15 which is provided with an extension 26. -This extension is provided to make the switch operable when in a horizontal position'as will presently be described.

The switch as shown in Fig. 1, that is, when it is employed to operate in a vertical position,

' may be assumed to rock about pivot point 27.

When the switch is in an exact vertical position a lip 28 of the cavity 22 serves to act as an obstruction or barrier to separate the two bodies of mercury and thus the electrodes areelectrically disconnected. When the switch is tilted, as

shown in'Fig. 3 Vthe mercury flows across the lip 28Vconnecting the two bodies of mercury and thus electrically connecting the electrodes.

The position of the two bodies of mercury sep'- arated by the lip 28 is clearly shown in Fig. 2 while the connected bodies of mercury are clearly shown in Fig.. 4 so that it will be readily appreciated that a slight tilting of the device in one direction serves/to cause the lip 28 to divide the mercury into two separate bodies and a tipping in the opposite direction causes a division of the bodies of mercury and a break in the electrical connection between the electrodes. The switch asjshown is constructed that when in an exact vertical position it is in an inoperative position insofar as the flow of current between the electrodes is concerned, since the lip 28 which constitutes a barrier serves to electrically separate the mercury bodies.

The present mercury switch device may as shown inFigs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 be operated in a substantially horizontal position. The refractory element' 18 is so formed as to provide a ledge 29 and a rounded surface 31, which latter is shaped to conform with the surface of the /bulb and the refractory element 18 is so disposed with the ledge 29 as contiguous with the wall at the lower end of the bulb so that the ledge in conjunction with the bulb wall 32 provides a' pocket to receive what maybe termed a stationary pool of mercury 34.

The extension 26 extends along the ledge 29 and is thus in contact with the mercury pool 34. The remaining portion of the mercury which may be termed a movable body 35 is separated from the stationary pool by a barrier or wall 33 as when thedevice is in position as shown in Fig. 8, that is, tilted about a pivot point 36 and disposedat a slight angle above a hOIiZQlllil lille.

Leraar? When the device is tilted as shown in Fig. 6 to a position below a. horizontal line, the movable body of mercury ows across the barrier 33 as shown in Fig. 7, thus connects the two bodies of mercury and provides electrical connection between the electrodes.

From the foregoing it will be evident that by reason of the novel construction vof the refractory element 18 a mercury switch device may be provided which is operable in a substantial vertical position and which without any alteration or adjustments may be converted to a switch operable in a horizontal position.

Although the present switch is shown and described as having electrodes normally in contact -with separate bodies of mercury it is to be un- "derstood that a switch device may be made wherein a single body of mercury moves back and forth to make and break a circuit and that is not essential to provide a stationary pool in contact with one of the. electrodes.

The advantages derived from the present invention are obvious, since whereas it was heretofore necessary to manufacture two types of switches for horizontal or vertical operation, it ispossible by reason of the present invention and with substantially the same cost of either type of switch, to provide one which will answer the requirements under' a variety of` conditions, thus not only reducing manufacturing costs but affording a greater range of surface and extend- 1 ing the usefulness of the device. y

Although sir-preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it is to be understood that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asv set'forth in the ap'- pended claims. What is claimed is: i

1. A mercury switch device comprising a tubular sealedenvelope, a body'of mercury in said envelope, a refractory element having a surface of cylindrical form to t one portion oi the inner wall of said envelope and a planar wall spaced from an opposite portion of said envelope, said element having Aa pocket with the open end disposed in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the envelope to hold a portion of said mercury during vertical operation of the device, another surface of said element being spaced from. the wall of said envelopet'o provide another pocket to hold a portion of said mercury during horizontal operation of the device, and conductive Amembers extending into large body of mercury, said elementv having av pocketto hold another body of mercury when said body of mercury is disposed in said space, said bodies being divided by a wall o f said pocket and disposed substantially on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of said envelope,

vand conductive members extending into said pocket and said space.

3. A mercury switch device comprising a sealed envelope, a refractory element having one surface arranged to fit a portion of the interior surface of the envelope and so proportioned as to provide a space between another surface lill thereof and an opposite portion of the interior `surface of the envelope, said element having a pocket disposed at one side of the longitudinal axis of said envelope to hold a portion of said mercury when the main body of mercury is disposed in said space during vertical operation of the device, a ledge on said element to cooperate with a portion of the wall of said envelope toV wall of said envelope, a body of mercury in said.

envelope disposed between said surface and wall during operation of said device, said element having a pocket with the open end in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the envelope to separate. a pool of mercury from said body, said conductive members extending into said pool and body.

5. A mercury switch device comprising a tubular sealed envelope, a refractory element having a pocket disposed with the mouth thereof in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis or the envelope to receive a pool of mercury during vertical operation, said element being spaced from one, wall of the envelope to provide space for a body of mercury during vertical operation oi' the device and spaced from another wall of the envelope to provide a pocket for a pool of mercury during horizontal operation of the device.

6. A mercury switch device comprising a sealed envelope, a refractory element, one side of said element being disposed in close proximity -to a wall of said envelope and the other side of said element being spaced from said wall to provide a recess to hold a body of mercury, a wall extending from said element, said Wall having a pocket to hold a pool of mercury when the device is operated with its longitudinal axis substantially vertical, said wall serving in conjunction with a wall of said envelope to provide a pocket for a pool of mercury during horizontal operation of said device.

, HUGO CARL RAUE. 

